De Ultramar : Screening Programme

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De UltramarJuly 29th – August 15th

Through these screening programmes we will focus on both Portugal’s colonial history and that of it’s former colonies. From works dealing with historical narratives to those about contemporary situations, De Ultramar attempts to give an insight into a complicated legacy of colonialism and imperialism. The history of Portugal’s colonialism reaches back to “The Age of Discovery” starting in the 15th India. Until its independence in 1822 Brazil was Portugal’s largest colony, after the decolonization of Brazil Portugal was left mainly with territory within Africa and in India and Asia. The colonies of the Third Portuguese Empire were heavily contended for by António de Oliveira Salazar and his Estado Novo (the new state or second republic, 1933-74). Under Salazar’s authoritarian regime Portugal was proclaimed ‘not a small country’ due to the landmass of the African territories it controlled. After the second world war a serious of uprisings in Portuguese ‘overseas territory’ began to take hold culminating in the African wars of independence, which led to the Portuguese colonial wars 1961-74 (Guerra do Ultramar in Portugal and Guerra de Libertação in the former colonies), the effect of which saw the toppling of the Estado Novo regime by a military coup (The Carnation Revolution) in Portugal and the decolonisation of it’s former territories. The screenings in De Ultramar can be divided into three interlinked sections. One, those works that deal directly with the historical imperial ventures of the Portuguese empire, mostly relating to the colonization of Brazil. Two, those that relate to the aftermath of colonialism in Brazil and Portugal, dealing with the cultural legacy and how this history has shaped the two countries. Through this section the visualization of a history of colonialism can be explored, and possible links drawn out between shared histories of authoritarian rule experienced in both Brazil and Portugal.

The third section largely deals with the colonialism within the African territories and the more contemporary history of the colonial wars. It explores this history through the liberation movements of the former colonies, the Portuguese forces that were stationed there, and the subsequent independence within the former colonies and the revolution in Portugal. From works of historical fiction, abstraction, visual anthropology, documentary, cinema and artist’s video and film, De Ultramar collects together visual responses and representations of legacy of Portuguese colonialism. The full programme for De Ultramar will be launched on Tuesday the 29th and will then be available as a print copy or to download from The Pipe Factory website.

Online updates for upcoming screenings will also be released here on our website and through social media.